Road-grader.



T. E. LYON. ROAD GRADER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7. 1909.

Patented ma 10, 1910.

2 sums-8113M 1.

T. E. LYON. ROAD GRADER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7 1909.

Patentd May 10, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

attorney para sra'rns rarrnnar anion.

THOMAS E. LYON, OF BUCKLIN, KANSAS.

ROAD-GRADER.

eraser.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. LYON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bucklin, in the county of Ford and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Graders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in scrapers for grading and surfacing roads.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which will have a comparatively light draft without side pull, which has improved scrapers and means for adjusting the same, whereby a road may be graded and surfaced as desired, and which will be simple, strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive in construction and at the same time easy to operate.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan View of the improved road scraper or grader; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal and transverse sectional views taken, respectively, on the planes indicated by the lines 33 and 44 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a detail section showing the adjustable pivotal connection for one of the scraper bars or beams.

The invention comprises a rectangularshaped, horizontally disposed body frame having longitudinal side bars 1 which form supporting runners. lVhen the latter are made of wood they are preferably bound with metal, as shown at 2. The side bars or runners 1 are connected by front and rear pairs of cross bars numbered 3, 4, 5, 6 from the top of each one of which projects a longitudinal reinforcing rib or bar 7, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The frame is strengthened by front and rear pairs of diagonal braces 8 and between the front pair of cross bars 3, 4 and also between the rear pair of cross bars 5, 6 are provided platforms which serve to connect said bars and strengthen the frame. Both platforms are centrally disposed and the front platform 9 has mounted upon it a drivers seat Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 7, 1909.

Patented May 19, 1910.

Serial No. 488,332.

10 supported on an inclined bar 11 which is strengthened by a brace 12 carrying a double foot piece 13. The rear platform 14 carries a seat 15 for an operator who adjusts and controls the scrapers hereinafter described. Said seat 15 is mounted on an inclined bar 16 strengthened by a brace 17, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Between the intermediate cross bars 4, 5 is a comparatively large space in which are arranged two angularly or diagonally disposed scraper bars 18, 19. These bars or beams 18, 19 are preferably of angular shape in cross section and upon their bottom edges are secured downwardly and forwardly inclined scraper blades 20 having beveled forward edges. The scraper bars or beams l8, 19 are arranged with their front ends diverging and their rear ends converging and spaced slightly apart. The front ends of the scraper bars have a vertically adjustable pivotal connection, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and consists in providing upon said end of each scraper bar a plate 21 which loosely hangs from a bolt 22 adapted to be secured in either one of two or more transverse openings 23, 24 formed in the adjacent runner.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the bolt 22 is in the lower opening 23 so that the scraper bar is in an operative position, but when said bolt is arranged in the upper opening 24, which latter is arranged vertically above the opening 23, the scraper bar will be elevated out of contact with the road and hence in an inoperative position.

The rear ends of the scraper bars or beams are made vertically adjustable by connecting them to forwardly and rearwardly extending levers 25, 26, the forward ends of which are pivoted in the forked upper ends of uprights 27 rising from the cross bar 4. The rear ends of the levers 25, 26 are provided with handles and they swing in forked or slotted upper portions of uprights 28 rising from the cross bar 5. The slotted upper portions of the uprights or standards 28 are formed with series of transverse openings 29 to receive removable pins 30 by means of which the levers 25, 26 may be secured at any desired elevation. The connections between the levers 25, 26 and the scraper beams 18, 19 are effected by providing links 31 with eyes at their ends to engage U-shaped clips 32, 33 secured, respectively, on said levers and said scraper bars, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings.

For the purpose of reinforcing the converging rear ends of the scraper bars 18, 19, diagonally arranged brace links 34: are provided. Each of the latter has its inner end pivoted between angle brackets 35 secured to the rear side of one of the scraper bars and its rear end is provided with an eye 36 to loosely engage an eye 37 provided on the inner face of one of the runners 1, whereby said brace link 34 has a loose pivotal connec tion with the runner. It will be seen, upon reference to Fig. 1, that the brace links 34 will effectively prevent the rear ends of the scraper bars from swinging apart or outwardly and that they will not interfere with the vertical adjustment of the same when the levers 25, 26 are raised or lowered.

The machine is adapted to be drawn over a road by draft animals hitched to a ring 38 connecting the forward converging ends of two draft links 39, the rear ends of which latter have hooks to detachably engage two pairs of apertured attaching plates secured to the front cross bar 3. The apertured attaching plates 40 which form one of the two pairs are arranged at equal distances from the longitudinal center of the machine while the plates a1 which form the other pair are arranged at the same distance from each other, as are the plates 40, but nearer to one of the sides of the machine, in the embodiment illustrated, such side being the left hand side. The draft links 39 are adapted to be engaged with either of the pairs of attaching plates 40 or 41.

In operation, when it is desired to grade and surface a road by the use of both of the scrapers and so that the road will be highest at its center and inclined toward its sides, the front ends of the scraper bars 18, 19 are adjusted to their lower positions and the levers 25, 26 are adjusted so that the converging inner ends of the scraper bars are elevated sufficiently to give the two sides of the road the desired inclination. Then the parts are thus adjusted the machine is drawn over the road with the runners 1 running in the low portions at the sides of the road. By using both of the scraper bars, it will be seen that the line of draft will be along the longitudinal center of the machine and there will be no side pull. lVhen it is desired to use only one of the scraper bars, say, for instance, the left hand one 19, the right hand one 18 is lifted to an inoperative position by raising the pivotal connection at its outer end and by raising its lever 25, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When this is done, the draft links 39 are disengaged from the plates or brackets 40 and engaged with the plates or brackets 41, thereby shifting the line of draft so that there will be no side pull when only one of the scraper bars is in use.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides an exceedingly simple and practical machine of this character which may be made at a small cost from wood, metal or other material, and which may be easily and conveniently adjusted to give any desired grade or surface to the road.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

The herein described road grader comprising a rectangular frame having parallel side runners and front and rear connecting bars, said runners being formed at opposite points with upper and lower openings, a pair of rearwardly and inwardly converging scrapers each consisting of a vertically disposed bar and scraper blades secured to the bottom edges of said bars, apertured pivot brackets bolted to the forward ends of the ings in the runners to adjust-ably pivot the forward ends of the scrapers, pairs of angular brackets secured to the intermediate pori tions of the outer rear faces of the scraper bars, diagonally arranged braces within the frame and having their inner ends pivoted between said pairs of angular brackets, loose pivotal connections between the outer ends of said braces and the runners, a pair of forwardly and rearwardly extending levers arranged above the frame adjacent its center, a pair of upright posts on the intermediate portion of the front connecting bar of the frame and carrying pivots for said levers, a pair of similarly arranged uprights on the rear connecting bar of theframe and having bifurcated upper ends formed with Vertical series of transverse alining openings, said bifurcated upper ends of the uprights being adapted to receive the levers, pairs of pins arranged in the transverse alining openings in the last mentioned uprights to retain the levers in adjusted position, and links having their upper ends pivotally connected to said levers and their lower ends pivotally connected to the scraper bars adjacent the rear ends of the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS E. LYON.

Witnesses H. P. McOAUsrLANn, W. F. HAMPY. 

